Evan Narcisse

Thanksgiving is next week. That means you'll need some games to ignore your family with play when everyone's in their turkey coma. This week's offerings include a portable version of Epic Mickey (hey, when's Oswald getting his own game?!), classic puzzler Myst and a game about dogs working on construction sites. You think they all sniff each other's butts when during their union-guaranteed 15-minute break?

Games

In Disney Epic Mickey: Power Of Illusion, gamers will play as Mickey Mouse as he infiltrates the Castle of Illusion on a quest to put an end to the evil witch Mizrabel's diabolical intentions.

• Disney Epic Mickey: Power Of Illusion offers a special drawing and painting function that will allow players to create an interactive world by using the stylus to draw objects in the bottom screen that magically transform into classic Disney-style 2D illustrations. Utilizing the game's unparalleled dual screen integration, players will then move their creations to the top screen where they are further transformed into beautiful, fully realized objects that pop off the screen in stunning 3D.

• Players will utilize the core "Disney Epic Mickey" gameplay mechanic of paint and thinner while playing as Mickey Mouse in an attempt to save classic Disney Toon characters.

• Players will engage in epic boss battles with familiar Disney villains using attacks involving the power of illusions to surprise players.

• Players will adventure through game levels based on animated Disney films such as Peter Pan and Aladdin, as well as interact with beloved Disney characters.

• In between adventures, players can develop their own fortress by taking a small fort and expanding it into a thriving castle.

Hotel TransylvaniaPlatform: 3DS/3DS XLPrice: $29.99

Hotel Transylvania is where the Monsters go to get away from the Humans…

When a human shows up unexpectedly, it's your job to help him survive a night at the scariest hotel on the planet! Plus enjoy tons of hidden rooms only on the Nintendo 3DS!

This is the first shooter game that gives the experience of full monster mayhem to both casual players and alien exterminators alike. Follow the epic chase in story mode, or take your chances in survival of the fittest. Master different means of annihilation with shotguns, plasma rifles, electricity guns, grenades, rocket launchers, and even a NUKE! Earn Monster Cash and visit the shop to get upgrades and new guns. Use lots of different perks that will improve your speed and rate of fire, and make you unstoppable.

It's more than a game. It's a journey. And now the journey is enhanced in 3D for even greater immersion into the fantastic adventure of MYST.

You will embark on a wondrous voyage as The Stranger, and explore an island of intrigue as you uncover clues about your surroundings and the quest you must take. Now the most well-known adventure game in the world comes alive in the new 3D version of this classic story! With a multitude of puzzles, problems, and mazes to solve, and a brand new Age added to enhance the MYST experience, you'll find MYST 3DS even more entertaining than the original.

Features
• Six worlds to navigate with additional items to explore
• Multitude of puzzles, problems, and mazes to solve
• A brand new Age added to enhance the MYST experience
• Elevated player interaction with all-new 3D artwork

American Mensa AcademyPlatform: 3DS/3DS XLPrice: $29.99

Think you're smarter than your friends? Want to prove it!?
American Mensa Academy™ provides genuine American Mensa® questions so you can find your true American Mensa score! Test a little low? Improve your skills and try again! Featuring exciting theater backdrops and brain-twisting tests, American Mensa Academy™ is the most stimulating way to improve your IQ! Immerse your brain in mini-games and puzzles that cover topics like: Literacy, Numeracy, Logic, Memory, and Visual & Spatial skills. Choose from three exciting game modes to enhance your learning experience. Questions are posed as fun challenges with humorous characters and colorful graphics that will have you pushing for the win!

Test your running and jumping skills to the limit in a 10 second race!

Jump Trials is a game that will test your control skills to the limit. Run and jump as fast as you can across an obstacle course of platforms to reach the goal within a 10 second time limit. Each stage is a different challenge with obstacles including spikes, moving platforms and conveyor belts. Fail to reach the goal within 10 seconds or touch a spike and it's game over.

Test yourself over 100 stages of increasing difficulty in Trials Mode, clearing 10 stages at a time before moving up a grade to tackle more demanding stages.
In Challenge Mode you'll be tested to retrieve three medals before exiting each stage, still within just 10 seconds. You'll be awarded a bronze, silver or gold crown for each stage depending on how many medals you managed to collect. Do you have what it takes to get gold crowns on all 100 stages?

Working Dawgs: A-Maze-ing Pipes celebrates the classic pipes puzzle game with a fun, new twist.
Set on the construction site of the Working Dawgs, players will need to work quickly and efficiently to complete the challenging pipe puzzles before time runs out. Using different pipe shapes, wrenches, and even bombs, players will be able to route the incoming flow and direct it to the puzzle's goal. If the pipeline doesn't connect from start to finish before time runs out, the water will burst through to flood the Dawgs' work site. With 80 unique and progressively challenging puzzles, players will be increasingly entertained as they save the work site from the impending water flow.

Because A-Maze-ing Pipes is based on the classic pipe puzzle game, players of all ages can enjoy the colorful world of the Working Dawgs. As the player progresses through each puzzle, The Working Dawgs will help the player by delivering integral pipe pieces and wrenches. At the end of each puzzle, the Dawgs will celebrate the player's success, or will panic depending on how the pipeline directs the gushing water.

In addition, bonus points are awarded when the water is routed in the correct direction in a designated puzzle area. As each puzzle is completed, the player will be awarded points, earning them an overall construction grade. The additional challenge of earning the highest grade on each puzzle makes this game even more captivating.

Working Dawgs: A-Maze-ing Pipes is the puzzle game you simply won't be able to put down.

Features
• 80 Puzzles to conquer.
• A point total and grade are awarded depending on pipe pieces and bonuses acquired.
• Dawgs will help to bring supplies to solve each puzzle.
• Drag-and-Drop stylus control.